This invention relates generally to pest control techniques and more specifically to techniques for the delivery of a pesticide to a designated point within an interior building structure via remote means. Prior art distribution techniques involve the use of a tube or pipe contained within the wall of the building structure to deliver pesticide through openings in the pipe or through nozzles connected to the pipe. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,028,841; 4,742,641; & 4,944,110. A timing device may be connected to the system to automatically and periodically deliver the pesticide by activating a pump that pumps the pesticide through the pipe and out of the openings or nozzles. Alternatively, a pressurized container may be employed to distribute the pesticide. To clean the pipe after use, an inert gas such as nitrogen may be used to expel any undistributed pesticide from the lines.
The prior art distribution techniques have several disadvantages. All the techniques require permanent plumbing and, therefore, cannot deliver pesticide to spaces external to or remotely removed from an interior wall, nor can the distribution systems be easily reconfigured. Additionally, blocked openings or malfunctioning nozzles are difficult to detect and service. More importantly, none of the techniques provide for precise control of the amount of pesticide being delivered through any one opening or nozzle, nor can these techniques vary the amount of pesticide delivered by adjacent nozzles or bypass one or more nozzles. Additionally, none of these techniques are capable of providing a wet spray followed by cold aerosol fogging, which is an effective method for eliminating pests such as cockroaches.
Because of the above disadvantages, customers with pest control needs and the pesticide industry have not widely adopted these techniques, preferring instead to rely upon a technician to physically deliver the pesticide or set baited devices. This holds true even when sophisticated remote monitoring systems for pest control are employed. See e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 7,317,399 & U.S. Pub. No. 2008/0055094. Therefore, a need exists for a distribution system that can deliver a pesticide to a remote interior space of a building structure, precisely control the amount of pesticide delivered to any point in that space, and be easily reconfigurable in accordance with changing pest management needs and building layouts.